


Call It What You Want

by sourpatchedkid



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: ANG PAASA, Chill, KaiSoo - Freeform, M/M, NOT POROOFREAD, PRODUCT OF MY BOREDOM AT WORK, VERY COLLEGE, as in, charot, not angst, slight chanbaek, taglish, unbetaed
Language: Filipino
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 14:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17851685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sourpatchedkid/pseuds/sourpatchedkid
Summary: So call it what you want (Or in where they're ex-somethings who easily finds their rhythm years later. Or do they?)





	Call It What You Want

 

When Kyungsoo sees Jongin again for the first time, it’s five years after the College graduation and he’s fresh from New York. Jongin is in his white coat, with a stethoscope hanging around his neck, and a clipboard in between his armpits. He’s smiling, grinning, laughing like an idiot with a kid whom he assumes is his patient but who also happens to be Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s kid. He closes the door slowly, tip-toeing to the couch, trying to remain unseen behind his tall friends Sehun and Chanyeol. Baekhyun is on the bed, holding his daughter’s hand while Jongin is on the other side, distracting her as he changes her dextrose bag.

 

_ “Ninong!”  _ The little girl sits up, grins at Kyungsoo, waving her hand erratically in the air making Jongin panic. “Oops, sorry, Tito Doc.”

 

“Gusto yata ulit ng injection ni Minseo eh.” Sehun teases. “Di ka naman ganyan ka-excited nung dumating ako ah.” 

 

“Ninong Kyungsoo!” She repeats, ignoring her ninong Sehun’s complains. Kyungsoo doesn’t have any choice but to make himself seen to the group. He squeezes himself in between two of his tall friends who does as much as hit each side of his butt before letting him get to Minseo. “When did you get back?” 

 

“I flew as soon as I heard.” He muses. Baekhyun shoots him a grateful smile and Minseo gushes at her favorite godfather’s revelation. Kyungsoo has been finishing his post-graduate studies in New York and he’s a candidate for yet another scholarship for his doctorate degree. He comes home every year. Mostly on his mom’s birthday but plane tickets are expensive and every second on his clock is too important. “You okay?” 

 

“Tito Doc said no more ouchie soon.” She pouts, tugging at Jongin’s sleeve. Jongin, his ex-almost slash ex-friend slash ex-something shoots him a smile. “Ninong, sleep ka here?”

 

“Ninong just got here tapos papatulugin mo na agad.” Baekhyun laughs, kissing the top of his daughter’s head. It’s been a stressful couple of days upon finding out that his little girl needed a kidney transplant. A stressful couple of days since the cancer scare months ago became something serious. Baekhyun was crying when he called Kyungsoo and it didn’t take anything more for Kyungsoo to book a flight home. 

 

Minseo is the group’s baby girl. They were fresh out of college when Baekhyun and Chanyeol adopted her and by association, she became everyone’s kid too. 

 

“But everyone sleeps here. I want ninong Kyungsoo to sleep here too.” Minseo whines. “Even Tito Doc sleeps here.” 

 

“‘Nak, your room isn’t very big to fit all of us here. Unless you want dada and I to sleep outside.” Chanyeol smiles, trying to save both of his friends from an awkward conversation with a five-year-old. “Maybe Tito Doc can sleep in his room first so Ninong Kyungsoo can sleep here.” 

 

“EH!” Minseo’s eyes begin to fill with tears, her bottom lip protruding and quivering. Her tiny little hands are balled into a fist and then the first tear falls. “Dada…” She turns to Baekhyun, pleading. 

 

It’s Jongin who tries to take control of the situation as Minseo’s uncle and as her physician. If the crying was a sign for anything, it was for an impending tantrum and he can’t bare to insert yet another needle on her little hand. 

 

“Minseo,” He coos, kissing her temple. “We’ll all sleep here. Even if we have to sleep on top of each other like your legos.”

 

“Really?” 

 

“Promise.” He looks at Kyungsoo. “Di ba Ninong?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Kyungsoo can’t remember the last time Jongin looked at him. Maybe it was in their graduation day when Baekhyun forced everyone to take a group photo or maybe it was during the after party when Jongdae threatened the two of them of leaving before the party even started. They didn’t know then. Didn’t know that things were different for Kyungsoo and Jongin.

 

They met when they were seventeen. Jongin was running late during the first day of class and the only empty chair in their General Sciences class was the one next to Kyungsoo. He took that seat not knowing that his life was going to change forever. For the next couple of months in their first semester, Kyungsoo supplied the yellow paper and Jongin was in charge of the snacks. He was almost always late, Kyungsoo learned. He lived within the university and it usually took him five minutes to walk in his regular pace but need not be scared because Kyungsoo was always writing, taking down notes, and sharing it to him in exchange for some spam rice.

 

Jongin introduced his roommate, Chanyeol, to him a month into their friendship and with that meant they had become friends with the entire basketball team--Junmyeon, Sehun, and Lay among others. Baekhyun and Jongdae were their seniors and they met them through another GenEd class which happens to be a back subject for the two. Kyungsoo and Jongin played cupid all throughout their first year, pairing up Chanyeol and Baekhyun and then Lay and Junmyeon. They nursed Sehun’s broken heart for the next three months after Lay and Junmyeon got together but not more than the efforts of Jongdae who he ended up dating in the end.

 

Kyungsoo was known as the guy hung up on his high school ex boyfriend, Seonho and Jongin was the guy secretly in love with his seatmate. It wasn’t a secret anymore. Not when he’s trailing behind Kyungsoo as soon as he’s out of practice, pairing up with him in every project, sleeping over at his house whenever Baekhyun and Chanyeol had a date night, and fighting Seonho every chance he gets.  _ (“He cheated on you, Kyungsoo!”) _

 

They were glued to the hip, never changing their label to anything else but seatmates. They were good friends who happen to be the only single ones in their group. Even when Kyungsoo knew he was over Seonho and even when Jongin knew that as well too, they never really talked about. They were just Kyungsoo and Jongin. The two friends who do absolutely everything together. Jongin got to the point where he just didn’t want to bother  _ (it was after the time Kyungsoo made a disgusting sound and screamed at Baekhyun that JONGIN AND I ARE JUST FRIENDS) _ . Maybe being seatmates were where they belonged. 

 

And in their Senior year when Kyungsoo asked him of his feelings, mid-thesis after three days of no sleep, Jongin snaps. Albeit, quietly and sadly. 

 

_ “Oo nga!”  _ He sighs.  _ “Pero nung first year lang ‘yun. Cute ka kasi nung di pa tayo close.”  _ He lies. Kyungsoo has always been cute in his eyes.

 

Kyungsoo was going to admit his feelings then and if Jongin felt the same way, he would use his exhaustion as the reason the feelings came out. He imagined defending their thesis as a couple and dating for a couple more years before adopting just like how Chanyeol and Baekhyun planned theirs. It was Jongdae who asks them a night later,

 

_ “Ano ba kayo?!”  _

 

_ “Masaya!” _ _   
_ _ “Friends!” _

 

And it was Baekhyun who smacks them in the head and says,

 

_ “Mag usap nga kayo!”  _

 

They don’t because no one ever listens to Baekhyun, the person with a successful relationship. Kyungsoo shakes his head and hides his sadness by scrunching his face,

 

_ “Di na niya daw ako crush!” _

 

_ “So, crush mo naman siya?”  _ Baekhyun says, making Jongin whip his head so fast he almost strains his neck.  _ “O, ano?”  _

 

_ “Alam mo, tatanggalin ‘ko pangalan mo sa thesis na ‘to.”  _ Kyungsoo threatens and Baekhyun actually believes him because he doesn’t bring up the topic anymore.

 

Chanyeol tries for the second time. He sets up a lunch date and backs out last minute when Jongin and Kyungsoo have been waiting for him for a while. What Chanyeol doesn’t take into account is that his friends are good at being friends despite the unspoken feelings. The two even end up at Timezone and another meal for dinner. They don’t speak of their feelings or anything else really. Just the same old conversations they had in the past that doesn’t seem to work anymore.

 

“Welcome home?” Jongin tries to break the ice with Kyungsoo with an awkward grin. They’re walking to the cafeteria where Minseo demanded Jongin take his favorite ninong so he can taste the ramen she can no longer have.

 

Kyungsoo chuckles, slipping his hands on either side of his pockets.

 

“Thank you.”  _ Pause.  _ “Is Minseo going to be okay?” 

 

“I have a good feeling.” Jongin promises. He asks Kyungsoo to take a seat as he orders for the two of them. The cafeteria is exclusive for hospital employees and it’s the only space where the food is actually tasty. Kyungsoo watches as the boy who used to trail behind him everywhere and follow whatever he does is now a well-respected professional loved by everyone. “Miso Ramen?”

 

“Naks, naalala pa.” Kyungsoo chuckles. Jongin pulls the chair in front of him and sits. 

 

“Di ko makalimutan eh.” He laughs along. “Believe me, tinry ko na.”

 

Kyungsoo pouts but he turns it quickly into a sad smile. Jongin notices it but he doesn’t say anything. 

 

“I’m turning Minseo’s case over to my friend. Di talaga okay kapag family. Mas nalulungkot pa ko kesa kina kuya Chanyeol eh.” 

 

“But she’s going to be okay, right?” There’s worry evident in Kyungsoo’s voice and he sees the flash of worry on Jongin’s face too. 

 

“We’re going to do our best but yeah. Good feeling.”

 

The Miso Ramen arrives with two spoons.

 

“Di ko din mauubos. Pahingi na lang.” Jongin smiles. 

 

“Pano pag gutom pala ko?” 

 

“Edi i-order pa kita, sus.” 

 

For the next ten minutes, it feels like nothing has changed. Kyungsoo calls him out for sipping too much soup and Jongin whines at how fast he eats noodles. They both finish the bowl way too fast. Both of them blaming the other for their lack of fullness. Kyungsoo ends up ordering another bowl. He tells him to get two bowl this time but Jongin shakes his head and carries on playing with his phone. It feels like college all over again except Jongin looks manlier and Kyungsoo is more in love with him. The routine starts again--Jongin sips far too much soup and Kyungsoo eats noodles to fast. In the end, Kyungsoo complains about a stomach ache and Jongin can’t help but laugh as he brings him to the residents’ room for a quick pain relief. 

 

“Dapat i-tae mo ‘yan.” Jongin suggest, poking Kyungsoo’s stomach which earns him a glare. 

 

“Wag ka nga mananching!”

 

“Hoy!” Jongin laughs, poking it again. “For medical purposes. Kailangan ko mahawakan kung matigas or malambot para alam ko gagawin ko.” 

 

“Dami mong alam.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and doesn’t give in. He moves away from Jongin whilst holding his stomach. “Gamot please.” 

 

“Pahawak nga. Ano ba. Seryoso kasi. Pahawak kung pati appendix masakit.” 

 

“Ulol, gusto mo lang mananching eh.” 

 

“Kapal! Hindi na kita crush, ano ba!” 

 

Kyungsoo makes a face.

 

“So naging crush mo pala ‘ko?” 

 

“Manhid ka lang? Everyone knows.” Jongin gestures for him to come to him and Kyungsoo actually follows. “Pahawak na, bahala ka diyan. Magiging constipated ka hanggang birthday mo.” It was only August. 

 

Kyungsoo sighs and lets go of the hands covering his stomach. He puts his hands on his waits as Jongin inspects his stomach. Touching it once, twice and then poking it multiple times until--

 

“ANOBAYANJONGINKIM!!! Uupakan kita.” 

 

Jongin laughs and shakes his head at the appalled Kyungsoo.

 

“Di na kita bibigyan ng gamot. Busog lang ‘yan. Ilabas mo din maya-maya.” 

 

Kyungsoo groans, muttering fake angry words at Jongin. He plops at the bed that Jongin says is his, rubbing his stomach, and yawning after. 

 

“May tanong ako.” Jongin twists in his seat, playing with the stethoscope around his neck. “Bat di mo ko tinetext simula nung umalis ka?” 

 

“Bakit ikaw din naman ah?” Kyungsoo retorts. Perhaps too fast. “Puro like ka lang ng picture.” 

 

“Yun nga yung point eh para mag message ka tapos mangamusta.” 

 

“Bakit hindi nga ikaw?” It’s almost like a challenge now about who has the higher or bigger pride between the two of them. “Nakikita ko pinupusuan mo pa yung posts ko eh.”

 

“Eh baka ayaw mo! Kilala mo naman sarili mo. Sobrang annoying.” 

 

“Ako?!” Kyungsoo shrieks. “Annoying?!” 

 

“Oo kaya!” Jongin isnt’ fazed by the glare that Kyungsoo is sending him. He replies to him by rolling his eyes. “Ang tagal na kitang nilalandi tapos papaasahin mo lang ako. Alam mo ba kung gaano kasakit ‘yon ha?” 

 

“Excuse me lang ha!” Kyungsoo stands up, ready to fight his ex something about this. “Sabi sakin ni Chanyeol, di mo daw ako crush so naghanap akong iba.” 

 

“May nahanap ka ba?!” 

 

“Wala!” 

 

“So, ano? Pinaasa mo lang ako tas wala ka pa din naman palang nahanap.” 

 

“Hindi nga kita pinaasa!” Kyungsoo kicks his leg and sits back down. “Tinanong kita di ba? Tapos sabi mo nung first year lang.”

 

“Syempre heartbroken na ako eh! Pano kung durugin mo lang ako ng tuluyan?” 

 

“Durugin talaga?” Kyungsoo can’t help but stifle a laugh. “Sana umamin ka.” 

 

“Oh, bakit di ikaw?” 

 

“Nauna ka magkagusto di ba?” 

 

“Gusto mo pa ba?” Jongin raises an eyebrow and Kyungsoo’s face flushes red.

 

“Alam mo ikaw--”

 

Jongin’s phone rings. 

 

“Wait si kuya Baek.” Jongin places his phone against his ear only to be met by a panicked Baekhyun. “Ano nangyari? Nag page kayo ng doctor? Binilin ko yan. Papunta na ‘ko. Oo, teka. Kuya, hinga ka. Hinga, sandali.” 

 

“What happened?” Kyungsoo asks, equally panicked. “What did he say?” 

 

“Minseo…” 

 

_ fin. _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be angsty but i got really into it HAHAHAHAHAHA i'm not sure if this is fluff but.... i tried?
> 
> Tweet me! @__jonginnie (TWO UNDERSCORES!)
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated :-)


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